India, Germany to ink partnership on migration and mobility

Berlin, May 2: India and Germany will soon sign a migration and mobility agreement, facilitating two-way movement of students, professionals and researchers, and also address the challenges of illegal migration.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz welcomed the finalization of the negotiations on the bilateral agreement on a comprehensive Migration and Mobility Partnership as documented by the draft agreement initialled on Monday.

"They agreed to take action to swiftly sign the agreement and bring it into force. They highlighted the importance of this agreement in facilitating two-way mobility of students, professionals and researchers as well as addressing the challenges of illegal migration,” said a joint statement issued after the sixth Inter-Governmental Consultations.

The two governments also welcomed active people-to-people exchanges including among students, academia and professional work force and agreed to support each other’s efforts to expand the internationalisation of their higher education systems, to interlink further the innovation and research landscapes of both countries, and to strengthen dual structures for Vocational Education and Training.

It said India will encourage exchange of students and facilitate admission of German students in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) under programmes like Study in India. Both Governments also welcomed efforts at university level to explore collaboration between Indian and German universities, e.g. in the form of joint degrees and dual degrees, it said.

India and Germany underscored their commitment to reforming and strengthening WHO as directing and coordinating authority on international health work and its capacity to respond to future pandemics.

They acknowledged the importance of facilitating free movement of people for business and tourism to support economic recovery and agreed to enhance cooperation on mutual recognition of Covid19 vaccines and vaccination certificates, it said. Both the governments expressed their intent to strengthen the cooperation in the field of medical products regulation by signing a Joint Declaration of Intent between the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) and Germany’s Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices and the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut (PEI).

Earlier, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and German Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Svenja Schulze signed a joint declaration of intent on the implementation of Triangular Development Cooperation projects in Third Countries.

Jaishankar also inked a JDI with his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock on the establishment of an agreement on the exchange and mutual protection of classified information and on the establishment of an agreement to establish a direct encrypted connection between MEA and German Foreign Office. He also inked the Indo-German Development Cooperation Regarding Renewable Energy Partnership with Schulze. PTI